Hanger structure



Jan. 19, 1965 c. E. GINGHER HANGER STRUCTURE Filed April 1, 1965 INVENT OR CARL E. G/NGHER ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,166,198 HANGER STRUCTURE Carl E. Gingher, 304-328 Depot St, Scranton, Pa. Filed Apr. 1, 1963, Ser. No. 269,375 4 Claims; (Cl. 211-123) This invention relates to improvements in garment hangers and rocks.

The invention constitutes an improvement over prior garment hanger racks whereby the wear resistance is increased substantially over racks made where the hanger hooks are merely stamped or cut from the metal hanger support. The improved construction provides a garment hanger having teardrop shaped openings for receiving and supporting hanger hooks. The openings provide a greater contact surface at the bottom and sides of the openings whereby the garment hangers are retained in exact alignment and parallel to one another.

The improved construction further provides a clothes hanger having a distinctly neater and more orderly appearance as well as one which prevents the garment hanger from swinging and swivelling about. This becomes significant when garments are wet and placed on the hanger to dry.

It has been observed where the garment hanger support comprises a circular aperture for receiving the hanger hook, that during use of the hanger the hook rapidly wears away the edges of the aperture to a point where the hanger drops through the worn away aperture. Further, the hangers tend to wear unequally and at various depths until such a time that the metal is worn away requiring complete replacement.

It is the principal object of this invention to overcome these disadvantages and provide an improved wardrobe rack structure.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reference to the accompanying description when taken in conjunction with the following drawings wherein- FIGURE 1 is a View in perspective of a wardrobe rack having the improved hanger construction;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view, partly in section, of the hanger plate and illustrating the teardrop openings for receiving and supporting the garment hanger hooks;

FIGURE 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 3,3 of FIGURE 2, and looking in the direction of the arrows; and

FIGURE 3a is a fragmentary detail view of the hanger hook construction and illustrating a modification of the same.

Referring to the drawings in detail, wherein like references indicate the same parts throughout the views, indicates generally a wardrobe rack unit comprising the improved hanger elements. The rack as illustrated in FIGURE 1, comprises a pair of spaced foot rails 12 and 13 which are of rectangular cross-section and closed at their ends. Tubular vertically disposed posts 15 and 16, of square cross-sectional shape, are suitably mounted on the foot rails as illustrated.

A cross brace 17 of square cross section interconnects the foot rails 12 and 13. Spaced end plates 19 and 20 which form offset hinges are attached to the opposite ends of the cross brace 17. Reinforcing rods 22, 23, 24 and 25 are suitably secured in place, as illustrated, to form a sturdy wardrobe structure.

Spaced vertically adjacent the upper ends of the posts 15 and 16 are shelf supporting brackets 28, 2h, and 31. Brackets 28 and 29 form end supports for the lower shelf 33, and brackets 30 and 31 form end supports for the upper shelf 34. The shelves 33 and 34- are shaped 3,166,198 Patented Jan. 19, 1965 from sheet metal and comprise spaced apertures 36, as illustrated in FIGURE 1.

rranged at the front on the lower shelf 33 is a garment hanger bar 40 having longitudinally spaced apertures or openings 41 for receiving and supporting a hook 43 of a garment hanger 45. The hanger bar 40, in the embodiment illustrated, is made of sheet metal, the same being of inverted L-shape in cross section, as illustrated in FIGURE 3, with the integral short leg 47 preferably spot welded to the underside of the shelf 33. The hanger hook apertures 41'are of teardrop shape, as illustrated in FIGURE 2, and comprise backwardly turned funnel shaped edge portion 48 for the insertion of a hanger hook 43. The funnel shaped edge portion 48, which extends completely around the aperture 41, includes an integral bottom flange portion 49 for supporting the hanger hook. The funnel shaped edge of the hanger aperture serves not only to provide an enlarged surface area for supporting the garment hanger hook, but also enhances the ease of inserting the hanger hook into the opening. By reason of the funnel shaped aperture, the hanger hook is guided into the opening even when the hook is merely brought in contact with the hanger bar adjacent the edge of the hook-receiving aperture. In addition to these advantages of the hanger hook openings, the same eliminates the use of raw-edged stamped openings heretofore utilized and its disadvantages. Further, the improved structure provides a reinforced hanger bar due to the corrugated structural effect produced by reason of the funnel edge shaped hanger openings orapertures formed in the sheet metal. The overall appearance of the garment hanger rack is also greatly enhanced over raw-edge stamped hanger hook apertures.

While sheet metal is used in the construction of the garment rack embodiment herein described, the invention is applicable for use with molded plastic material or metal substitutes. For example, the hanger structure of the present invention, where desired, may be made of molded or shaped plastic resin material plated with metal, as well as die cast metal or suitable material of pressure die construction. The same can be provided with a hanger bar having teardrop shaped hanger hook openings wherein the edge portions which are engaged by the corresponding hook side areas are shaped to provide parallel side portions for contiguous contact with the hook and such as to maintain the hanger hooks in alignment and whereby they are prevented from twisting and swivelling about.

The hanger hook is shaped to fit snugly in the bottom rounded V-shape portion 50 of the teardrop shaped aperture 41, as illustrated in FIGURE 3a. An essential feature of the hanger bar of the present invention as described is that the sides 52 and 53 of the apertures 41 are parallel to the side portions of the hanger hook 43 whereby the hanger hook engages the parallel side portions, contiguously therealong, as shown at 43 in FIGURE 3a, to provide a snug fitting hanger hook.

The improved hanger bar and teardrop hanger hook aperture not only markedly increases the wear life of the garment hanger unit, but also provides a greater contact surface for the hanger hook at the bottom and adjacent sides of the teardrop shaped aperture. Further, by forming the hanger hook receiving apertures with backwardly turned flanges forming a funnel-shaped opening as described, the hook supporting bottom and side edge portions are extended many times beyond the gauge thickness of the metal of the hanger bar, which extended metal provides increased bottom and lateral support for the hanger hook so that it is held firmly and cannot rock freely about on the hanger bar. Moreover, a considerable saving in metal is thus attained without sacrificing the wear resistance and life of the hanger unit.

Further, the provision of teardrop hanger hook openings and having the bottom and side edges flared rearwardly to provide a funnel shaped aperture with the side edges arranged parallel tothe hanger hook side portions engaging thereagainst, the hanger hooks are held firmly in place. Each of the hanger hooks .is thus retained in parallel relationship to one another, as described. The improved hanger'and hook-retaining structure not only results in a longer lasting garment hanger rack, but provides a distinctly neater and more orderly appearing wardrobe rack.

The invention willbe readily understood from the foregoing description of an embodiment of the same. The invention, however, is susceptible to various modifications and changes, as may occur to those skilled in the art, to adapt the invention to different conditions and uses. It is accordingly desired to comprehend such changes and modifications within the present invention and as may be included within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A garment hanger bar, a plurality of vertically extending hook receiving apertures therein, said apertures being of teardrop shape with outwardly turned flanges along the side and bottom edges of said aperture on one side only of said bar, said flanges forming a funnel-shaped opening on the other side of' the bar, the lower portion of the walls forming the opening being V-shaped and the bottom of the V-shaped portion terminating at the upper face of the bottom outwardly turned flange whereby the hook of the garment hanger contacts the flange and is supported thereby.

2. In combination a garment hanger bar having vertically extending apertures therein and garment hanger hooks supported in said apertures, said apertures being of teardrop shape with outwardly turned flanges along the side and bottom edges of said aperture on one side only of said bar, said flanges forming a funnel-shaped openingon the other side of the bar, the lower portion of the walls forming the opening being V-shaped and the bottom of the V-shaped portion terminating at the upper face of said bottom flange, the cross section of the hook supported in said aperture having a like V-shape snugly received in the -V-shaped portion of the opening and contacting the flange at the bottom of the aperture in supporting relation.

3. A garment hanger bar, a plurality of vertically extending hook receiving apertures therein, each of said apertures being of teardrop shape wherein the top portion is substantially semicircular and the lower portion is V-shaped with rounded bottom, the edges of the aperture being turned outwardly on one side of the bar to form a projecting flange increasing in extent progressively from the top to the bottom of the aperture, said outwardly turned flange forming a funnel-shaped opening on the other side of the bar, and said outwardly turned flange at the bottom conforming to said rounded bottom in the lower end of the aperture.

4. In combination a garment hanger bar having vertically extending apertures therein and garment hanger hooks supported in said apertures, each of said apertures being of teardrop shape wherein the top portion is substantially semicircular and the lower portion is V-shaped with rounded bottom, the edges of the aperture being turned outwardly on one side of the bar to form a projecting flange increasing in extent progressively from the top to the bottom of the aperture, said outwardly turned flange forming a funnel-shaped opening on the other side of the bar, and said outwardly turned flange at the bottom conforming to saidrounded bottom in the lower end of the aperture, the cross-section of said hook supported in said aperture having a like V-shape with rounded bottom portion snugly received in the V-shaped and rounded bottom portion of the lower portion of the aperture and contacting the flange at the bottom of the aperture in supporting relation therewith.

References titted in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 25,156

Gingher et al Apr. 10, 1962 438,904 Walton Oct. 21, 1890 1,860,760 Whitteman May'31, 1932 1,939,086 Shafer Dec. 12, 1933 2,007,913 Durr et al. July 9, 1935 2,096,024 Anderson Oct. 19, 1937 2,252,566 Hocher Aug. 12, 1941 2,266,274 Schroeder Dec. 16, 1941 2,309,465 Magnuson Jan. 26, 1943 2,554,176 Edwards May 22, 1951 2,614,702 Riblet Oct. 21, 1952 2,729,480 Berndt Jan. 3, 1956 3,022,033 Flower Feb. 20, 1962 3,086,657 Myers et al Apr. 23, 1963 

1. A GARMENT HANGER BAR, A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY EXTENDING HOOK RECEIVING APERTURES THEREIN, SAID APERTURES BEING AT TEARDROP SHAPE WITH OUTWARDLY TURNED FLANGES ALONG THE SIDE AND BOTTOM EDGES OF SAID APERTURE ON ONE SIDE ONLY OF SAID BAR, SAID FLANGES FORMING A FUNNEL-SHAPED OPENING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BAR, THE LOWER PORTION OF THE WALLS FORMING THE OPENING BEING V-SHAPED AND THE BOTTOM OF THE V-SHAPED PORTION TERMINATING AT THE UPPER FACE OF THE BOTTOM OUTWARDLY TURNED FLANGE WHEREBY THE HOOK OF THE GARMENT HANGER CONTACTS THE FLANGE AND IS SUPPORTED THEREBY. 